I’m now happily out of the workforce (having followed the FIRE lifestyle for decades), and upon self reflection in these 3 years of freedom I’ve come to recognise that I sit very deep on the introvert side of the scale, and as such that made me ill suited to a job where I was constantly face to face with an endless line of clients.
To an extrovert such a job might seem energizing and fun. To an introvert it was draining. I’d finish the week only to be left with 2 days to ‘recharge’. Even the weekend felt like a race to prepare for the coming week of work. My workdays were a blur, and with the exception of achieving FIRE savings, my life really didn’t seem to be one I was living for myself, only for my future self who was timing his escape.

Lockdown has been a time of welcome calmness and rest for an introvert. I suspect the opposite is the case for extroverts, who need the stimulation of a more varied and social environment, and I suspect that goes some way to explain the various ‘disrupters’ in the lockdown. The vaccine deniers, the mask refusers, those who decline to stay at home and in so doing become vectors for virus spread… they likely are extroverts who find the confines of a lockdown to be uncomfortable.
Yes, these are coarse generalizations, but I’m confident there’s a degree of truth to be found among them.

I’m taking on a part time job – 2 days a week.

The rest of the timr i will get to focus on family, friends , consciousness / meditation, traveling and working on my business as a medical herbalist. 🙂

Thanks for the comment Ebenezer. The choice to cut back on work is such a complicated and personal decision. The math for someone like a teacher with a pension is a lot more complicated, but ultimately finding the optimal balance between remuneration, contentment and longevity is ideal. good luck!

Part time work is great, but in my latest post I give the counter argument on why a physician should consider giving full-time a try.

https://thehappyphilosopher.com/why-physician-full-time-work/